So, on our latest bank run we had to deposit some checks and pick-up close to a million in dollars and riyals which came out to be roughly 20 or so 'bricks' of cash. A brick of cash is 1,000 bills of a certain denomination. Each brick weighs about 3+ pounds, so you're looking at 60-75 cumbersome pounds. Well, we realized on the way that we forgot to bring our bag/case to put the bricks in. So, we asked the branch manager, Bander, if we could borrow one. He gave us what amounted to a 30 year old duffle bag with no clasp or mechanism by which to seal it. When we were summoned to receive the cash, they did so in front of the regular customers sitting in the waiting room. So, there I am holding a raggedy duffle bag while SSG Spann dumbs cash in it in front of about 15 of our newest friends.
Once we had the big bag 'o cash, we had to wait in Bander's office for the rest of the deposit receipts. As we are sitting there, some dude in a janitor's jump suit walks casually into the office and starts to pick-up our duffel. SSG Spann and I both jump up and yell at the guy, sending him scurrying out of the office just as Bander launches into him in Arabic. Apparently, Bander asked him to get a cart to help us get the bag to the car and the poor guy made the wrong assumption that it would be okay to bring the bag to the cart first rather than the cart to the bag.
Anyway, Bander comes into the office and we start to chit-chat. Long story short, Bander leads the conversation to religion. Now I had always heard that it was not cool to broach such subjects with a Muslim when you are obviously not one. But he brought it up and I didn't want to offend him by shutting down. Okay, okay...I actually got a little excited to have the chance to argue Christianity over Islam. The actual details of the next 25 minutes are/were a bit boring but I'll say I had the upperhand in presentation but that's because this is my blog and you weren't there. (Ha ha)
Well, good ole Bander was nice enough by the end of the visit of our last bank run before this one to offer a recommendation of a restaurant owned by a friend of his, Sa'har. He told us it was a very nice restaurant and that he would have to call ahead for us to 'gain permission' and describe our person and vehicle so the guard at the underground parking garage would let us in. Turns out, the place was a very nice Syrian restaurant called Set Al Sham. Here are some pics...
SSG Spann holding the menu.
There was a Caesar salad in the bowl at the top left. We had mixed grill kabobs.
This was the elevator to the parking garage. The handrails are inlaid with mother of pearl.
